Alone in the Backseat

Alone in the Backseat

Author: Jennifer Lourie

Publisher:

Published: 2018-01-28

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9780692977026

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Growing up in Maine, alone in the backseat of my parents' car, I dreamed of replicating my idyllic childhood when I was older with a family of my own. But, a revolving door of Craigslist roommates and Tinder/Bumble dates following my divorce at age 35 resulted in my adult life turning out to be the opposite of what I expected, manifested by the fact that I still find myself alone in the backseat. Faced with the challenge of making my mortgage payments after my husband left, I posted an ad to rent out my living room. Over the past eight years, I have shared my one bedroom apartment with 71 people from sixteen countries, sometimes four at a time! Thanks to my resourcefulness and perseverance, I avoided financial ruin and made friends from all over the world. Although I have experienced the lows of loneliness and divorce, I am grateful for the many times in my life I have felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Cross cultural experiences living with wonderful families in four different countries and exciting international love affairs have often made my life feel like a movie.


The Girl in the Backseat

The Girl in the Backseat

Author: Norma Charles

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 9781553800569

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Ages 10 years & over. In this fast-paced, on-the-road Young Adult novel, Norma Charles once again manages to include provocative social issues in an adventure story that will appeal to children from age twelve and up. Charles takes on the issue of young girls being forced to marry older men in Bountiful-style communities where polygamy abounds. She also explores the issues involved in mixed-race families where colour is a factor. The novel opens with fifteen-year-old Jacob Armstrong disgruntled to find that his mother has decided that the whole family must accompany his sister, Minerva, to her new university on a road trip all the way from Vancouver to Winnipeg. The only saving grace is that he and Minerva get to drive in a peppy little Mini, away from the rest of the embarrassingly crazy family in the family van -- which includes their step-father, Fred Finkle and his two sons, Barney, a stand up comedian-wanna-be, and Sam, an eleven-year-old dinosaur expert. Before they leave BC, Minerva and Jacob are shocked to discover a stowaway in the backseat of their Mini. It's a girl dressed in old-fashioned clothes and desperate to escape from her home and get to Winnipeg. She begs the siblings not only to take her with them, but asks them to keep her presence in the backseat a secret. Where, they ask, has she come from? Why is she so desperate to escape? And just who is after her? And why? "The Girl in the Backseat" is a novel that takes you on an urgent journey across the prairies where Jacob uncovers some uncomfortable truths about himself and his attitude towards people who are different. It also explores how tolerance, understanding and a positive sense of self-worth can grow and develop from unexpected encounters.


Backseat Saints

Backseat Saints

Author: Joshilyn Jackson

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2010-06-08

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0446569178

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Read this "enthralling" portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created while reigniting her rough and tough Texan bravery (Kathryn Stockett, bestselling author of The Help). Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did. Starring a minor character from Jackson's bestselling Gods in Alabama, Backseat Saints will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness.


Girl, Stolen

Girl, Stolen

Author: April Henry

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Published: 2010-09-28

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 142995003X

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Cheyenne, a blind sixteen year-old, is kidnapped and held for ransom; she must outwit her captors to get out alive. Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there's a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn't know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price? Prepare yourself for a fast-paced and hard-edged thriller full of nail-biting suspense. This title has Common Core connections.


The Girl He Used to Know

The Girl He Used to Know

Author: Tracey Garvis Graves

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1250200369

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New York Times bestselling author of On the Island, Tracey Garvis Graves, presents the compelling, hopelessly romantic novel of unconditional love. Annika Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess. Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game—and his heart—to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone. Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.


Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist)

Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist)

Author: Sara Zarr

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: 2008-03-01

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 0316029173

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Now a movie on Lifetime! I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Tommy was seventeen and the supposed friend of my brother, Darren. I didn't love him. I'm not sure I even liked him. In a moment, Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," Deanna longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom, and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany, and redemption.


Count All Her Bones

Count All Her Bones

Author: April Henry

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Published: 2017-05-02

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1627795928

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April Henry masterminds another edge-of-your-seat thriller in this much-anticipated sequel to Girl, Stolen. Six months ago, Griffin Sawyer meant to steal a car, but he never meant to steal the girl asleep in the backseat. Panicked, he took her home. His father, Roy, decided to hold Cheyenne—who is blind—for ransom. Griffin helped her escape, and now Roy is awaiting trial. As they prepare to testify, Griffin and Cheyenne reconnect and make plans to meet. But the plan goes wrong and Cheyenne gets captured by Roy’s henchmen—this time for the kill. Can Cheyenne free herself? And is Griffin a pawn or a player in this deadly chase? April Henry masterminds another edge-of-your-seat thriller in Count All Her Bones. This title has Common Core connections. A Christy Ottaviano Book


It Goes Like This

It Goes Like This

Author: Miel Moreland

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Published: 2021-05-18

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1250767490

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In Miel Moreland's heartfelt young adult debut, It Goes Like This, four queer teens realize that sometimes you have to risk hitting repeat on heartbreak. Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they've been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair. But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens' band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste's starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl...of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they'll discover whether growing up always means growing apart. "It Goes Like This was everything my music nerd heart needed AND wanted. Lyrical and heart-wrenching...beautiful representation, sweetest longing and the pop-star romance of my dreams; Swifties will swoon happily with this story tattooed on their hearts." —Erin Hahn, author of You'd Be Mine and More Than Maybe


One for the Murphys

One for the Murphys

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-05-10

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1101572124

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From the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Fish in a Tree! Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts they've given her have opened up a new future. "Hunt's writing is fearless and One For The Murphys is a story that is at once compassionate, thought-provoking and beautifully told. From the first page, I was drawn into Carley's story. She is a character not to be missed or forgotten." —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming Winner of the Tassy Walden Award for New Voice in Children's Literature